Where is the supposed neutral position or how do you get it in the neutral position??

Do you guys have them set that way? or what works for you?
Do you guys use the little numbers on the shoes ?

i got two new pairs of specialized road cycling shoes, and on one pair the guy at the shop was able to set them up in a pretty good what he called 'neutral position'
but on the other pair, which i got at a different store, the guy did not get them on right. my right foot felt like it was trying to pop of the pedal so i messed with it myself and now i feel like i got the cleat on an alright spot but i feel it could get it better .

DAMN CLEATS ARE GOING TO DRIVE ME CRAZY NOW

Where a "fitter" puts them might not be optimal. My left clear is a 1/4" behind my right.

hmmmm that tool looks it would do the trick have you ever tried or do you have one ??

Ball of foot (at big toe) over pedal spindle. Cleats angled so foot when clipped in is at similar angle to how your foot naturally hangs. Sit on a table or something and look at your feet - most people are heels in a bit. My right foot is really heels in and if i put it too straight on the pedal, I get pain on outside of knee, so i angle that cleat quite a bit now.

Here's a diagram to help you visualize it. This is a starting point that can be tweaked to your liking.

Plenty of videos on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...+cleat+fitting

I've been experimenting with the "Hogg" positioning, though I can't really tell that it makes a big difference for me. But I also changed shoes at the same time so not a very controlled experiment I know.

scott s.
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As far back as they'll go. That, and a wedge for my jacked up left foot, completely eliminated hot spots.

Why do you need two pairs of shoes?

I've never had "the guy at the shop" install cleats for me. Finding the right spot isn't that hard.

Can you use the cleat position on the correct shoes as a template?

Lots of good reasons for more than one pair. For different bikes and pedal/cleat systems. So you can have summer and cooler weather shoes that are a size large for more socks and warmth. Good shoes and older beater shoes for rain or if I am going to have to wear them off the bike. (I have three different systems on 5 bikes, slotted cleats fo FGs, Deltas for the road and SPDs for gravel. I ride all three types in cold weather as well as warm.

Do you have just one pair of dress shoes? Does your cycling rate as important in your life? It does in mine.

Ben

Same reason we need at least 2 bikes. More is better.

That's what I wold do. I'd put the good pair on the pedals and document where the ball of my foot was relative to the pedal spindle, how close it was to the crank, then how far off my heel was from the crank and duplicate that with the other pair.

Ben

Same here. I take a wrench with me on the first few rides and stop to make little adjustments as I go.

I just had my bike fully fitted. Boy were my cleats way off. It actually felt a lot better in my knees and shins with them properly adjusted. He had to watch me on the trainer and adjusted the cleats at least 3 times before they were correct. Both of my feet are definitely not the same.

I would say that a professional fitting is worth it, not just for the cleats, but the whole bike. It's much different than the salesman/tech/whatever eyeballing it when you buy them.

Though, you might be able to find the right spot(s) on your own, as I'm sure many people do. For me though, what I thought was right, definitely wasn't.

I also think a professional fitting is worth it. Finding the right person is essential of course, but I can't think of a better investment I have made on cycling related stuff.

Why not ? well one pair i paid full price and the other on ebay brand new which luckily were in my size, for a pair of specialized pros which are about $300 i got them for $100

yeah i've thought about a bike fit but i've never had problems with the way my bike is set up other than the cleat positions but even then not really, i just ordered a cleat positioning tool which i'm sure will help tons.

yeah i get you , but i've never really had any pains in my legs or feet other than normal soreness from riding hard i think i ve set my bike myself pretty well or at least my legs seem to be happy , i would get a bike fit if i had knee pains or legs pains that i couldn't pin point but i've never felt any. i just ordered a cleat positioning tool that i feel will help a lot in finding a better cleat position from ergon.

I wouldn't say I had any pain really, I've done 40-50 mile rides just fine with my old cleat setup. I just mean't that It felt more neutral. I could tell that there was strain in parts of my leg with the old setup, because the new setup felt so neutral.

My wife and I rode for many years with our cleats in the standard position as shown in previous posts. My wife started getting cramps in her feet and calves for some unknown reason last year, so I moved her cleats all the way back. End of problem. I've never had a problem with mine, never hot foot even on extremely long rides. So put 'em as above unless you have a problem, then problem solve.